لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ 37
Translations
For every man, that Day, will be a matter adequate for him.
Transliteration
Likulli imri'in minhum yawma'idhin sha'nun yughnīh
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the Day of Judgment when each person will be preoccupied with their own state of accountability before Allah, too consumed by their personal circumstances to concern themselves with others. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari explain that on that Day, the concerns of family, wealth, and worldly relationships will become insignificant as individuals face the reality of their deeds, making each person's affair sufficient to occupy them entirely.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in Surah 'Abasa, a Meccan chapter revealed during the early Islamic period. It is part of a passage describing the scenes of the Day of Judgment (verses 33-42), emphasizing the isolation and personal accountability each soul will experience when the trumpet is blown and people are raised from their graves.
Related Hadiths
The concept is reinforced in hadith collections regarding the Day of Judgment. For example, in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, there are hadiths describing how on the Day of Resurrection, a person's only concern will be their own deeds and status before Allah. Also relevant is the hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ described the despair of family members unable to help one another on that Day.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah serves as a powerful reminder that worldly relationships and material possessions cannot aid us in the Afterlife—each soul stands alone before Allah responsible only for its own deeds. It encourages believers to focus on righteous actions and spiritual preparation in this life, as no one can intercede or assist us except through Allah's mercy on that decisive Day.
Related Ayahs
وَإِذَا ٱلرُّسُلُ أُقِّتَتْ
And when the messengers' time has come...
فَكَيْفَ إِذَا جَمَعْنَـٰهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ لَّا رَيْبَ فِيهِ وَوُفِّيَتْ كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَّا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
So how will it be when We assemble them for a Day about which there is no doubt? And each soul will be compensated [in full for] what it earned, and they will not be wronged.
ثُمَّ لَنَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ أَوْلَىٰ بِهَا صِلِيًّا
Then, surely it is We who are most knowing of those most worthy of burning therein.
وَعَرَضْنَا جَهَنَّمَ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْكَـٰفِرِينَ عَرْضًا
And We will present Hell that Day to the disbelievers, on display -